A bit of a disappointment, this date matches together veteran tenor saxophonist
Flip Phillips with a fine rhythm section (pianist
Dick Hyman,
Howard Alden or
Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, bassist
Bob Haggart and drummer Ronnie Traxler) and 13 strings.
Phillips sings his own "If I Had a Penny" and doubles a bit on bass clarinet; he plays fine but mostly sticks close to the melodies. The lack of tempo or mood variation in Hyman's ballad arrangements makes this CD better heard in small doses rather than as a whole. The music is pleasing but sometimes bordering on sleepy. ~ Scott Yanow